1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of microstructures. More particularly, the invention pertains to a nanofiber and a method of manufacturing a nanofiber, particularly a method of manufacturing nanofiber formed using a substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes as microstructures of an order of several nanometer (10−9 m), microstructures such as those of silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge), etc., which had already been discovered have been attracting attention once again in recent years. Previously known metallic microstructures are the nanostructures of such things as bar-shaped silicon crystals, folded silicon whiskers, cone-shaped germanium whiskers and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) whiskers.
These nanotubes and nanostructures have many industrial applications such as in emitter materials and materials for hyperfine devices and they are expected to be important material to support the emerging “nanotechnology.”
According to the previously noted articles, previously known nanostructures of such things as silicon and germanium which become semiconductors are manufactured using vapor deposition liquid phase solid phase (Vapor-Liquid-Solid, hereafter referred to as VLS). In addition, a method of manufacturing silicon nanowire with laser abrasion with semiconductor materials containing metals has been developed recently.
However, control of orientation of growth of nanowire manufactured with these methods is difficult. This nanowire becomes a wool-shaped structure, and it is difficult to manufacture nanofiber configured from numerous nanowires following particular axial directions. Because of this they had the disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain nanofibers with suitable configurations for material to be used in microelectronic devices.
On the other hand, methods of manufacturing orientation controlled nanofiber have been developed in recent years, for example, carbon nanotubes oriented on silicon carbide. These utilized the chemical decomposition reaction on the surface of a SiC wafer and when the SiO gas molecules generated in conjunction with the oxidation of the wafer surface bubble, the crystalline structure of the residual carbon changes and is reconfigured as a carbon nanotube film. However, this method produces many carbon nanotubes like “frost columns” and though they form a film, this method is based on the idea of eliminating silicon atoms from a substrate and not for causing carbon nanotubes to form on a substrate. In addition, this is a method for manufacturing over a wide area with mass-production in mind, and it is difficult to conceive of controlling manufacturing closely so that nanotubes can be made into fiber in desired units. Thus, even though orientation can be controlled somewhat this has the disadvantage that is it not something which would suggest a method for manufacturing nanofibers which have a desired diameter and length.